I'm No Demon
by CyanDiamondIce
Summary: My world literally fell apart and now I'm surrounded by demons! Worst part is I keep being mistaken for one. Rated M for possible later chapters.
1. 1 Falling Apart

Falling Apart

"Kore! You bastard!" My voice cracking at the sheer amount of power raging from those words. This man, my enemy, escaped from prison and started a calamity I'm afraid I can't fix. Terror tore at me as our would began to fall apart, literally. His laughter echoed, throbbing against my eardrum as trees and rocks began to flow up to the sky. Those chocolate brown eyes bore the rage and anger I had brought upon the world.

High above the town lay a sphere of galaxies, most likely a black hole or wormhole, whichever I did not know and had a gut wrenching feeling that I would soon figure out. I let out a grumbling snort of frustration. Was Kore this insane to get rid of me?

"C'mon Ali! You're just standing there!" All I could do was bare my teeth and growl as he mocked me.

"Bastard! What are you trying to accomplish by destroying the world!?" Again, he laughed. That hysterical maniacal laugh where he had fallen over the edge and could never return. I don't know what I can do, despite having supernatural powers that this man forced upon not only myself but dozens of children and teenagers.

I gazed around, watching as my beautiful home tore apart. The nearby houses began to fall apart, board by board and shingle by shingle. My heart dropped, fear and agony ripping apart every fiber of my being. Hot salty tears began to stream down my pale skin as I realized that there was nothing for me to do. Familiar aura's tingled my senses as two close people strode up to where I stood.

My eyes met with theirs, red and swollen from crying. Natalie with her vivid yellow eyes and hair, motioned for the contraption Kore stood on to which I understood. With a leap of faith, I rushed to him, grabbing the sides of his odd machine. We locked eyes, Kore and I, while I jammed my clawed hand into the mainframe pulling out metal, wires, and plastic. Unfortunately, that wasn't the result we had hoped for.

The rip in space opened wider and became far more violent. Kore's machine, now without power, just fell into the vacuum and began to fly towards the tear. I let go pushing away from him. Sadness overpowered me as the tears streamed once more. My eyes opened one last time to see Natalie and Kaylie flying her way. The world as I knew it, fell apart in chunks with nothing to spare. Everything blacked.

/ / /

The river swept gently down it's course. It's cool touch caressed my skin, cooing me out of my slumber. It was serene with the birds chirping their song and stream gurgling. Every part of my body felt like led, heavy and dense. When I tried to open my eyes, the sun glared viciously causing me to groan. The best I could do was to roll over, sheltering my sight with an arm draped over. Slowly I got my eyes to flutter open gazing at a small bank in a quaint river. There was only one thing missing...my spirit partner, Snowfleet.

A bright blue wolf with wings who had been born in me as chemicals and science. For these last two years, she had always been by my side. I tried keeping her safe by not letting her out during my fight with Kore. Now though, I feel nothing. My powers are all still there, the ice, the strength, and the super senses but Snowfleet's presence I could not feel. Not even a twinge. For now, I couldn't be sad. I was in unfamiliar territory and had to move.

I had been awake long enough for my body to respond properly allowing myself to sit up and take in the surroundings. Lush green fields that went on for miles graced my sight along with mountains looming in the distance. Gathering myself, I finally stood, water dripping down my bright blue trench coat. The scents and sounds felt so different...felt so... _old_. I was curious of this place. My feet moved on their own, guiding me to God knows where.

This wide open field made me feel so alone. I was tiny compared to everything else, though it felt strange. Nature felt untouched, clean... _pure._ Breathing in the air itself was cleansing. How beautiful. I don't know how long I had been wandering but my absentmindedness brought me to a large cliff edge. The sight before me was gorgeous; rolling landscape and a quaint little village below. This village though piqued my interest.

There were fields around it full of water. I sniffed, trying to catch the scent. Was it...rice? Rice paddy fields? I could see some people moving around, getting their daily business done. Men carried hoes and various other tools garbed in what looked to be kimono's and hakama's. It dawned on me...perhaps in trying to destroy me, Kore's wormhole, or whatever it was, sent me back in time? Even another dimension...

I turned away and headed off from the cliff. In my current state I would stand out like a sore thumb, whether if I concealed my brightly colored hair or not. My clothes were not of this time or place and would draw unnecessary attention. So without another thought, I wandered this wide open world. Alone.

It was fun, watching the sun slowly inch down to the horizon, laying down for the day to let the moon out and dimly light the path. In a creepy kind of way, I found it beautiful. The stars shone so brilliantly without the city lights blocking their way and the chorus of the night beasts put me at ease. I wasn't completely alone. Even if they were to attack, I could protect myself.

A patch of forest came up and I took my opportunity to sit down for a spell. I took the largest tree around and leapt up into the branches. My feet throbbed with light aching; it honestly surprised me as I removed my boot and rubbed the sore appendage. I guess I had never traveled that far in one day before...on foot anyway. Usually I would just grow my wings and fly around. Though, with this world being unfamiliar I really wanted to keep a low profile. Who knows who managed to survive over into this world from my own, that and I don't know who rules these plains.

With the silence and lack of company, I leaned up against the trunk and gazed inwards to my soul. My spirit partner, Snowfleet, should be somewhere in there. This whole day has been awfully lonely and dare I say it, but scary without her. There was this missing piece now, a hole that I was terrified of never being able to fill. That fear exponentially grew as I dug deeper into my being and not finding a trace of her.

Her warmth, her comfort, her voice...all gone. What had happened to my partner? If she was gone, shouldn't I not be able to do anything that I am now? My hair is still a vividly bright blue, cyan if one were to get technical, and my eyes resonated with that same brilliant color. Cautiously I grabbed my shoulder length hair and held it before my eyes...just to make sure. It was.

I was still an overpowered experiment of a human. Without my spirit. My thoughts traveled to my friends. If they had survived, I couldn't feel their auras anywhere nearby, did they lose their spirits? Did Natalie and Kaylie still have Kuro and Kassho? There was a headache coming, I could tell, from the cluster lightly throbbing behind my right eye. I rubbed it and groaned in frustration. Why? For the love of all that I had done to save my home, why did this happen? I gritted my teeth in sheer anger.

 _Kaiman...you traitorous half-dragon..._ My thoughts wandered back home, to the little subdivision I had lived in for the last ten years of my life. I had just turned eighteen, starting my Senior year of high school and researching what I could specialize in during college. My war with Kore had been over for about a year, Kaiman and I had been dating for scant of that year and suddenly...he went back to the professor. Helped the psycho break out of federal prison and in the long run, destroy our life.

I wanted to cry, really I did. Everything was gone. My family, my friends, and my home. Everything that we had worked so hard to save and rebuild, all down the drain. Nothing from now on would be the same.

For the first time in the last two years, I closed my eyes and drifted to sleep alone.

\ \ \

The sun, despite being early in the morning, filtered through the leaves and managed a ray right on my eye. My back was terribly in pain from sleeping in a sitting position. I stretched, outreaching my arms above my head and loosing a few extremely satisfying pops. Out of habit I looked around for a clock only to be harshly reminded that no such technology was around. Another obstacle I would have to get over was going to the bathroom. The call of nature began to scream loudly and I was becoming desperate to pee.

Hopping down, I landed mildly ungracefully to bolt off behind a bush. Glancing around the area, I felt nor saw anyone which gave me the all clear to unbutton my pants and slide them down. Awkwardly I squatted and relieved myself. I felt so exposed like this, it made my skin crawl. Once more I was faced with the situation of being without modern commodities. I needed toilet paper. My hand plucked a leaf from the bush I hid behind. It wasn't the same but it worked.

"And it's only going to get worse from here on out..." I grumbled to myself standing back up and zipping my black jeans. For the time, I continued on, unsure of what my next move should be.

Naturally I followed the dirt path through the woods. It was uneventful and peaceful. I don't know how long it had been since I started this morning, but now the woods began to thin and I could see the green fields outside. It was here when I began to feel a strange aura...it was dark and hateful. There was even an odor my nose could whiff out which stunk horribly.

I passed the last trees, coming out into the open. Before I could really take in the scenery I had to leap out of the way as a huge fist slammed into the ground below. Chunks of dirt and gravel flew and dust lingered about. Landing gracefully I gazed over to whatever tried to just kill me. Red eyes glowed from the dust and this odd growl sounded. It almost sounded echoic or demonic. I waited patiently for the next attack or for the dust to settle.

The latter happened first as a giant beast appeared before me. It's skin color a faded maroon with horns protruding the side of its head curving in towards one another. The beast wore a loincloth and a fur that took shape of a vest. Sure enough, this was the smell and aura I noticed earlier. It frowned at me, probably annoyed that I dodged it's attack.

"A mere mortal avoided my attack? Impossible! You look more demon than human!" Was that thing referring to my hair and eyes? Dumb beast. I yawned, infuriating the creature even more. "How dare you yawn in my presence! You wont be so bored when I gobble you up!" Without another word, the beast launched it's fist at me. With ease, I jumped to land right back on his arm sprinting up the limb. He began uttering nonsense that I silenced out. This monsters words meant nothing and would always be that way.

Extending my claws, I slashed through the thick muscly neck. My arm went nearly elbow deep and I could feel the muscle give way and the spine severed and crushed. I met with the ground once more listening to the monster slam down. The ground beneath shook and the smell of decay was already upon the monster. I turned to the scene and watched in surprise as the beast began to disintegrate into the air leaving only the skeleton.

It was creepy, I'll admit. I was just about to leave when something glimmered amongst the disappearing flesh. Turning back I sauntered over to the corpse and picked up a little purple shard. It shimmered in the mid day sun and oddly I could feel a sort of power from this piece of crystal. My hand twisted in different angles to gaze upon this interesting piece. I didn't think much of it but just placed it in my pants pocket. With that, I left the scene.

The sun slowly crept along the sky. Still I was alone and it began to unsettle me. I needed company. Another scent wafted to my nose. This time it was two and two auras. One strong and one...not so much. These auras were similar to the beast I had just slain. So more to kill? I would hope not. Off in the distance I could make out two figures, to which I'm guessing belonged to what I had just picked up. The closer I got, the better I could make them out.

There was a tall slender man with white hair and another smaller figure. The smaller one seemed to be green in color. Of the two of them, the taller one caught my eye with the white hair. This person didn't look like one of my people nor could I recognize the scent. I could make out now that it was a man and he was nice and easy on my eyes. He was also the stronger of the two.

Since I didn't know the two, I kept my eye contact to nothing as we got closer to one another. I moved aside to not run into them. The blood on my arm also was becoming a nuisance with the stench and stickiness. My next goal was to find a river. Soon enough I began to pass by the two, though I didn't expect the little one to start speaking.

"You, woman!" Was that thing talking to me? "Woman! I am speaking to you!" Pausing momentarily I turned enough to gaze at the little imp creature. I gave it an uninterested look which seemed to anger it even more. "Were you the one that disturbed the demon of the forest!?" I gazed past him and back to where I came from and gazed back down to it. Without a word I held out my right sleeve, which still was drenched in blood, and my hand that had dried blood cracking all across it. The little imp gasped.

"Does that answer your question?" It grunted in anger. This little imp had a temper.

"You impudent woman! You're just a lowly demon! Show more respect!" I tilted my head to his words.

"Demon? I haven't been referred to that in a while." The little imp blinked at me in confusion. "Use your head. I'm human. I smell nothing like either of you." So that's what they were. Demons. That's what that thing back near the forest was. Was I in a world of demons?

"Don't be ridiculous! Do you -"

"Jaken." Both this little demon and I gazed over the the fair haired man. "She speaks the truth." His golden eyes gazed to me. My cyan eyes never wavered despite the flutters in my stomach. This one was strong...really strong and I didn't want to test his strength.

"But my Lord...her hair and eyes aren't of a mortal! How can she be human?" His bright golden eyes bore deep into me. I fought back hard, giving him the same gaze. It was terrifying. Everything lately seems terrifying. Finally I turned away continuing my unknown path.

"Listen to your master, little demon. I am not a demon, nor have any relations with them. And I'm not someone to push around." There was a grunt of displeasure before I heard him say something about a staff. Intense heat came at me from the back to which I skillfully twisted my body swinging my right arm at the flames.

The fire dissipated into nothing as I watched with satisfaction behind the last few embers at Jaken's face. When every flame disappeared I let my hand drop, locking my eyes with his round yellow ones. I conveyed my message clearly to the little demon. Without another word I continued on leaving the two behind.

\ \ \

 **Hello my readers and welcome to an Inuyasha fanfic! I've been binge watching it...so yeah. This is why Cyan SOLDIER has been on hold. That and I'm stuck with it right now. So...yeah. Enjoy!**


	2. 2 White Baboon

White Baboon

The days dragged by slowly. Each rise and fall of the sun began to blur together and my grasp on time faded. I want to say that I had been here in the place or time for at least a month, if not more. Not long after I defeated that forest demon, I had constant attacks from other demons. Each one after the same thing, the little shard that lay in my pocket. They all referred to it as the "Sacred Jewel Shard" and my guess was that it granted them power.

Not once have I thought of using it. I was strong enough on my own, killing each and every demon that crossed my path. Not many, maybe five out of all, gave me any kind of issue. Most that came after the shard were weak and perhaps wanted the little thing for boosted power to rule their territory. That was one thing I had noticed, they all claimed territory and were highly protective of it. Not much different than the beasts of the land.

Today was dreary as rain threatened to fall. With my sensitive ears I could hear thunder far into the distance. I sat at a river washing my hand and cloak sleeve in the river, cleansing myself of the last victims blood. Even though I did take baths, I still felt filthy. With no modern commodities here I could smell my own body odor and it was beginning to grind on my nerves.

My mind thought through other ways to bathe. I know in a lot of stories I had read years ago that people used salt to wash themselves with but that still would not get rid of my stench. The blood from my cloak washed down the river and the stain came free of my sleeve. When the red all disappeared and the blue of my cloak was all that was left I stood up and rung out the excess water. Satisfied with the results I slipped my arms through the sleeves and zipped up the outer piece of clothing.

The path before me was endless. I had no destination and no purpose. My heart still ached at the loss of my spirit and the thought of loneliness slowed me down most days. A lot of times it actually did distract me from my battles. With my mind wandering I didn't notice the small patch of trees I came up on. Forests around here didn't scare me anymore. My senses hadn't dulled at all and I could sense anyone coming up on me. Demon, human, animal, anything. I could tell.

These senses of mine came in handy, especially now. A dark aura crossed me, faint, but there. I stopped in the middle of a clearing feeling out this essence. A shiver ran violently up my spine, this presence, whoever it was, was evil. There was nothing pure about it, not even a hint. Buzzing came up behind me to which I turned to gaze upon a hoard of wasps. I was never a fan of flying insects but these things creeped me out.

They were huge with a deadly red stinger. Those giant red eyes were unsettling as well, just floating there watching me. I watched closely letting them know I was well aware of their presence. A few of them suddenly flew towards me to which I stiffened my hand and punched through their tough exoskeleton. Purple gas came from them and immediately jumped away from them. Even from here I could tell that they gave off a poisonous fume from death. I gritted my teeth.

 _I have to be careful...these things could prove deadly._ Then, all around me, there was this echoic chuckle. The laugh belonged to a man. A gust of wind came through and I finally caught onto his scent and I could tell that the aura from earlier belonged to him. Calmly I collected myself and waited for this...it wasn't necessarily demon but not human either, to show himself. The laughing died down and everything around grew stiff.

My eyes darted one way then turned to the other. This thing wasn't going to get the best of me. The wind blew once more creating a slight vortex to which a white baboon slowly merged into sight. I watched closely, sniffing the air. It's this creature that I smelled not too long ago. My only question though, was this thing really a baboon? Again he laughed.

"You are strong, little demon." I really wanted to chort back at him and correct his language. At this point I'm really glad I didn't go into that village. They were probably all human and would be scared to see someone like me. "But are you strong enough?" His last words broke me out of my reverie. Again those insect came at me which I dodged without any effort. Surprisingly, they tried shooting their stingers at me.

 _If they emit a poisonous gas after I break their bodies open, I bet their stingers are just as bad if not deadlier from concentration._ Without another breath, I moved again. Their movements were slow and predictable. I began to realize this man was toying with me. Swatting the bugs back and killing them by their own body weight slamming the ground I turned back to the baboon man.

"Why are you attacking me?" My voice was cold and direct. I wanted to waste no more time or energy on this mongrel. His laughter echoed again and my agitation grew. For once I was going to thoroughly enjoy ripping this demon apart...or whatever he happened to be.

"Isn't it obvious? You've destroyed every demon I've sent your way." So all those demons that tried to take the jewel shard were his? What a coward. I wasn't going to enjoy ripping him to shreds. Scoffing I turned away from him.

"Leave me. I refuse to waste time on someone who cowers behind others." My mind went back to Kore and Kaiman. Kore always hid behind the young boy; using him as my rival. That man was the only one who really ever pissed me off and got under my skin.

"You think you can just turn your back to me? You wench." The buzzing of those insects grew louder as the whole swarm came at me. Just like earlier, I swatted them back at the baboon jerk and avoiding any gas sent my way. When his insects were nearly gone he started morphing.

His main body rose into the air and from below came fleshy branches. So this guy was a demon. I gave him my coldest glare, purely annoyed and ready to move on from this. The arrogant bastard laughed once more, cocky and believing that he had me cornered. How wrong I'd prove him. I drove off the last few insects and dodged a slamming branch.

Not missing a beat, I launched forward as soon as my foot hit the ground. My body hopped up avoiding another attack and landing on one of the many fleshy limbs. The wind whipped past my face as I ran up the body of this demon. As I neared the main body my senses caught onto two familiar auras. It was the little demon I believe was Jaken and his master. They must've caught on to this demon's scent.

Another attack flew my way and I easily maneuvered around the limb. Finally at my destination, I reeled my hand back and landed a devastating blow squarely in his chest. I felt bone break and something popped within. He grunted and fell back landing heavily shaking the poor earth. I landed gracefully away from him watching the dust settle. Suddenly a root came up and shot at me blindingly fast. Thankfully my reaction time was deadly fast and caught the branch by looping my arm around it.

I felt him struggle but my grip was stronger than he anticipated. Smirking lightly, I lifted the baboon by his extended branch, and slammed him back down with unnecessary force. I heard him grunt in pain and growl frustratedly. Something felt off and I kept watch just to make sure he wasn't faking his defeat.

"My Lord! Did you see that?" That shrilly voice distracted me momentarily as I gazed back at the two. Jaken had his mouth agape while his master just watched with disinterested eyes. Rustling caught my attention as the demon swung a desperate attack at me. Suddenly a glowing green whip ripped the appendage apart, leaving the parts to fall to the earth. I glared back at the demon who just came.

"Do not interfere." He didn't flinch but his little servant began to spout something about respect. I snorted at him and dodged another attack shot at me. My movements became smooth as the attacks barraged, trying to bring me down. Once again I leaped to bring down a finishing blow. Instead the demon who tried to attack swung an extra shot to which I cut through the flesh. This time however he managed to shoot poison gas straight into my face.

I growled and pushed back away from his body. Shaking my head I tried to focus but the poison did it's job. The demon managed to temporarily blind me. Gritting my teeth I growled deeply, which came out dragon-like which was received with a shriek of surprise from the little one behind me. Refocusing my brain, I switched from visual sight to feeling the earth. The demon with white hair had came up and passed me confronting the one who attacked.

"Ahhh, Sesshomaru. It's been a while." That was his name, huh? Well, he wasn't going to interfere with my battle. I may have been blinded but I could still win this thing.

"I said, do not interfere. Move Sesshomaru." I stood tall glaring at the white haired demon. There was no mistaking it, he was glaring at me. Probably more out of speaking to him disrespectfully. Tiny footsteps came up quickly and Jaken interfered once more.

"My Lord should kill you for being so disrespectful! Plus, you're human and blinded! What can you do?" Without missing a beat, I kicked him upside the head. Infuriating brat. With that I turned back and took a few steps forward to grab what I could of Sesshomaru. I pulled him back and glared at his figure.

"I don't give a damn who or what you are. This fool attacked me and I'll finish it. Understood." It was less of a question and more of a statement. I didn't know who this guy was or what his standing was. He wasn't going to interfere when I could take care of myself. When the other laughed I glared over at him. "You'll regret touching me." My voice was dark and ominous. Immediately the laughing stopped as I raised my right leg and slammed it down into the ground. There was a path of earth that raised from my kick heading straight towards him.

One large pillar flew out sending the man flying. Listening I jumped up to him finding a spot to roundhouse kick him. I vanished and reappeared behind him, punching his shoulder and repeated the process. After a few rounds I had to end it quickly as I was starting to lose track of him. With my leg straight up, I slammed down, shattering his shoulder blade and what seemed to be part of his spine.

He landed with a satisfying slam into the ground. When I landed, I could see the vibrations again through the earth. It felt far more comforting here than in the air where I relied completely on my nose and ears. I heard grunts and growls and a sudden whirl of air.

"This will not be the end of it wench!" With that the winds violently whirled one last time and suddenly the presence disappeared. It was odd and frustrating that this demon wasted so much time and ran when he was almost dead. I rubbed my eyes in agitation. This poison was frustrating and I would need to find water soon. Another sound caught my ear and instinctually I reached out catching warm flesh. Even through my gloved hand, I could feel Sesshomaru's warmth and the action earned him another glare. My face turned to him and with narrowed eyes I gave warning. I threw his hand off to the side.

"Do not underestimate me." With that I turned away sauntering off. I sniffed trying to catch wind of any body of water. Sadly, nothing came to scent and my world stayed dark for quite a while longer.

\ \ \

The crickets began to chirp and sing. Their songs echoed through the field and I knew either night was quickly approaching or the moon had long risen. The breeze had settled down for the day and I was desperately trying to sniff out some water still.

Finally.

I managed a slight whiff of the liquid I was desperate for. Sprinting off I wasted no time to a nearby stream. My hands dipped into the cool water and splashed it upon my dirty face. The poison from earlier washed out and my vision came back. I gazed about taking in my surroundings. It was a small clearing in sparse woods and a few bushes for density. A few days had passed since my last bath so I decided to chance a quickie.

I discarded my clothing and waded into the chilly stream. My body lowered so that the water sat right at my mouth. Goosebumps traveled along my arms and chest as I adjusted to the cooler temperature. Doing this allowed me to chill and think clearly. The battle I had earlier left me fuzzy headed and frustrated. That bastard blinded me and Sesshomaru kept trying to interfere. Demons think lowly of humans and it was no different with me. I guess it didn't help that my vision was taken from me momentarily. Even still, I beat back the demon that attacked and that's all that matters.

Sesshomaru...

The man was beautiful with that white hair of his and those gorgeous golden eyes. I scoffed at myself, he was nothing more than a nuisance to me and I'm sure he thought the same of me. Though, it is strange that I have ran into him twice now. My blue eyebrows scrunched together in thought. Was he after the shard as well? If so, why didn't he try to kill me when he had the chance? I turned my back on him at least twice and could have probably gotten to me when I was battling the other demon.

Speaking of which, the one I faced today seemed to know Sesshomaru himself. Were they allies? No, Sesshomaru took a stand to the other. The white haired demon was going to fight the baboon as well. What were they to each other then? Enemies? Probably...

I had been in the water long enough and trudged out. Holding my chest I shook my body and rid myself of excess water. With my clothes back on and feeling a little better with my hygiene, I set off for a decent tree to hunker down in for the evening.

My eyes averted to the moon that now sat proudly in the darkness of the night sky. How long would I be here?

Would I ever find purpose again?


	3. 3 Plus One

Plus One

Many moons passed after that fateful encounter with the baboon. Over the days I have come to learn that the demon's name is Naraku. The monster has been a nuisance for a while apparently. I hadn't encountered him since I beat the living daylights out of him, save for today. The other demon I've been dealing with, Sesshomaru, doesn't take heed of me when we cross paths. I'm fine with that. Being alone is what I've accustomed to...no matter how lonely I feel. I've seen him perhaps three other times now.

Today though I lay against the trunk of a tree panting heavily and sweat dripping down my face. I am in excruciating pain from the bastard Naraku. He ambushed me by somehow concealing his scent and aura. His insects came out of nowhere and I got stung by two of them. Naraku landed a few deadly slashes on me and with the poison running through my system, my poor body couldn't keep up with healing the bodily wounds.

So here I sat, bleeding and exhausted. A huge part of me wanted to sleep so badly. Just to close my eyes and drift off into a deep slumber but I knew better. If I did now, I most certainly would die from the poison. A wave of pain pulsed and I grunted gritting my teeth to ebb the hurt. Once the wave went away I leaned back and closed my eyes.

My peace would be interrupted by familiar presences...plus two new ones. I didn't move, I hurt too much. Plus all the more movement would push the poison faster through my system. There was a gasp, it belonged to a young girl. Her scent was different from Sesshomaru and Jaken's. Quick footsteps plus a drop and small fingers graced my cheek. Slowly my eyes opened and gazed over to what I figured as the young girl.

She was a cute little thing, with a ponytail of hair sticking up from her right side. And those dark brown eyes...this girl was going to be a beauty when she grew up. It amazed me how much worry there was on her face. She noticed I was watching and took her hand away. Those dark brown eyes turned toward Sesshomaru.

"My Lord! She's really hurt." I closed my eyes. This little girl worried over me. As I sighed, it was a struggle to get the air out.

"Little girl..." She made a 'huh' sound and turned back to me. "Do not worry about me. I'll be fine..." Jaken of course scoffed at me. Another rush of pain and I grunted dealing with the poison.

"What happened?" Did my ears deceive me? My tired eyes gazed up to the white haired demon. His golden eyes glinted with a curiosity that befitted him. It was really the first time he addressed me without discontent.

"Naraku...He came out of no where. There was no scent or aura to pick up on..." His gaze upon me was intense. Even though those eyes are gorgeous, they held malevolent intent. Was I going to die? The little girl spoke up once more and Sesshomaru diverted his eyes from me. He then looked to Jaken and proceeded to leave.

Jaken seemed taken aback at the sight. His huge yellow eyes turned to me and came into my space. The little imp was grumbling to himself, angry that his master ordered him to save a human. Jaken lifted my sleeve and saw the wounds where the stingers entered my system. With some odd noises the little demon scurried off. All that was left was me, the little girl, and the new mount. Said girl smiled at me.

"I should introduce myself. My name is Rin! What is your name miss Lady?" Strange how this kind polite little girl traveled with the likes of Sesshomaru. I watched her with tired eyes. She was genuinely curious about me and cared for my well being. There was a warmth in my chest I had long forgotten.

"Ali..." Her brown eyes widened with curiosity at my name. "My name is Ali. Tell me, why do you travel with Sesshomaru?" With my question, she only smiled and giggled. Her purely innocent face put my heart at ease. The demon does nothing to her and she follows willingly. Sesshomaru must have a soft spot for her.

Not far from us I began to hear an oddly familiar sound. It was strange to hear it and yet I'm sure I wasn't hallucinating. My thoughts were confirmed when Rin asked me what the sound was. I reached out to Rin and pulled her close. She yelped a little but settled down when it dawned on her that I was protecting her. It was music we heard and it was coming closer.

This music wasn't from this area. It was mine, from my old home. I was so confused as to who or what could be able to make such music. Past the last couple of trees I saw a figure and it was a figure I recognized. I held little Rin closer to me as the man came closer. He began to chuckle as he realized what position I was in. I managed a growl at him.

"Why, hello Ali. It's been -" He began with me but in anger I cut him off.

"Shove it, Kaiman." So he managed to survive the travel as well huh? This gave me mild hope. Perhaps more of our people survived. Maybe my family really was alive.

The man before me stood with a cocky stance, arrogant and full of himself. Those gray eyes of his glimmered with malice. His hair had grown out to his mid back and colored from a dark blue at the roots to the gray of his eyes at the tips. Kaiman still wore his white sleeveless shirt with a skull on the front and those khaki shorts. The eastern dragon tattoo on his left arm stood out against his tanned skin.

Struggling against the trunk of the tree, I made my way back to my feet. My whole body racked with pain as the poison spread through my system. The task was grueling and exhausting as I motioned for Rin to stay back. I heard the rustling of leaves as she hid behind a close bush. My teeth bared at the traitor before me. All the painful memories flooding back. That smirk of his wouldn't go away.

"A little sore there? How are ya going to get out of this one?" I pushed myself off against the trunk and stood fully. My eyes narrowed, glowering at the bastard before me. There was a scent on him that wasn't his.

"You can't work or think on your own, can you Kaiman? Working for Naraku now?" The boy shrugged. I realized as to why he was here. Naraku wanted him to make sure I was dead. And perhaps take the shard he had failed to retrieve still. "Pathetic. And I thought you had become a man." He shot blue fire to which I just swatted it away.

My mind raced back as I jumped after him. Back to the old days. Two years since the start of the Ultimate adventure, when my two best friends and I wandered the woods near our home to find Kore, his lab, and some of the first therianthrope. My heart began to ache terribly. This boy before me, as I thrust a clawed hand at him, my heart had started to fall for him. When I thought he had turned over a new leaf and fought alongside me against Kore. What exactly happened? Did I do something to make him turn against me? It made no sense to me for now as I fought against the searing pain of the poison getting closer to its destination.

I turned sharply on the ball of my foot, leaping at inhuman speed. My first priority was making sure he didn't touch Rin. As for me, I don't care anymore. Nothing was left for me and most likely I would die of the insect stings. I slashed again, grazing his arm.

There was a hiss from his gritted teeth and those gray eyes caught mine. A glimmer of fear crossed them, as he realized I wasn't playing around. My eyes held a sad and dark aura, feeling nothing as my claws raked through flesh. Had I become desensitized to killing from the demons? I had not the faintest clue.

We broke apart and stood at a standstill for a quick breath. It took everything in my power to stay tall. I couldn't keep up with this so I needed to end this quickly. Without warning I shot forward, taking Kaiman by surprise. He tried swerving to the left only for me to disappear mid hop. I watched as terror took over his face, unable to see or smell me. Another moment later and I reappeared before him. Despair took hold of Kaiman as I reeled my arm back.

Blood spewed across me and on my face. I could feel muscle tearing beneath my navy blue claws and ribs shattering under the pressure. A heavy thud sounded as the boy before me fell to his back. His wonderous gray eyes met mine for a final time. Scared and alone, I could read him like a book.

"You...actually are trying to kill me." No words passed my lips and I took a few small steps forward, trying to keep my balance. My vision was starting to go and it was hard to comprehend what I was doing. Suddenly a gust of wind stopped me as purple miasma came from the sky. It enveloped him and next thing I knew, everything stood still and all that remained of Kaiman was his blood on the grass.

With him gone I turned back to the small woods and struggled back. Leaning against the trees for support I went back to Rin, softly calling out her name. She popped out with wide eyes. Seeing her safe gave my body passage to unconsciousness. My world zoomed down as I felt the ground with a hard thunk.

/ / /

The noises were faint but distinct. Crackling of a fire, the whispers of a child, and the song through the treetops. Slowly my eyes began to obey command as reality came back. The fire nearby supplied much needed warmth as bloodflow slowly regained speed. Blurry vision faded and soon became clear. Rin sat near me, watching with childlike curiosity. My heart fluttered; she was worried for my well being. Jaken was near, on the other side of the fire, watching with just as much wonder as Rin. Behind the little demon was Sessomaru. He sat up against the tree, face turned away from us and watching the sky.

I gathered my thoughts, retracing the events up to now. Naraku ambushed me, I sat against a tree, ran into this group, fought Kaiman...Shouldn't I be dead now? Did Jaken manage to find an antidote? I pushed myself up, putting all my weight on my left arm as I sat up. My legs gently off to the right as Rin held up some food and water.

"Here, this should help. The antidote Master Jaken gave you will make you sick if you don't eat." It was a few mushrooms and some field weed that looked similar to asparagus. I nodded and took the food, eating it within a few bites. My face turned to Jaken. He watched with intense focus.

"You really got me the antidote?" He narrowed his eyes.

"Yes, only because my Lord said so." Ah, so Sesshomaru did tell him to get me medicine. I bowed my head lightly.

"Thank you." The little imp blinked a couple of times, mildly confused. I turned to Sesshomaru, whose golden eyes were right on me. How unnerving. "And thank you." He gruffed at my gratitude.

"Just answer this." He started to which he had my full attention. "Why was Naraku after you?" My hand went to my front right pocket. It was still there. The sacred jewel shard. I pulled it out and held it up.

"This thing. I got it from the forest demon some time back. Many a demon have been after me for this thing." His eyes glimmered stunningly in the firelight.

"You are not using it?" He was truly curious. I scoffed and placed the piece back into its safe place.

"I have no need for it. I'm strong enough on my own. Shush, Jaken." The little imp had scoffed at my answer. My eyes held a cold tone which made him stop laughing. "My earlier predicament is from Naraku refusing to face me head on in battle. He keeps hiding behind cheap tactics." Rin had relaxed around me and sat in my lap, playing with my grown out hair. In the few short months, my hair had suddenly taken a growth spurt I never knew it could. Perhaps due to the fact I cut my own hair back home.

"Then why do you protect it?" My eyes went back to the white haired demon. He was oddly talkative tonight. The embers drifted away from the main body, slowly dimming from a bright orange to a dark brown.

"I find it odd that so many have been after this thing. My guess is that it promotes power, especially within a tainted heart. Those that have a tainted heart would do worse to the world than anything. That's why." Sessomaru's gaze was heavy upon me. Part of me wanted to gaze away, hide from those eyes. Though, I saw questions. A curious mind was behind those golden orbs.

There was a tug at my hair and I gazed to see Rin looking at me with wonder. In her hand was a lock of my hair, braided beautifully. She wiggled the braid and asked me an interesting question.

"Ali, why does your hair change color?" That was probably one of the questions I saw hidden within Sesshomaru. I plucked a thin weed nearby and tied it around the braid Rin had made, trying to find the words to explain how.

"Did my hair change colors when I passed out?" She nodded with a confirming hum. "Hmmm..." A hum thrummed in my chest, low and soft. Rin smiled at the braid hanging from my right side. "It's...hard to explain really. It seems scientific discoveries aren't very far here as they are back home." Rin cocked her head questioningly. Jaken once again scoffed.

"Then why don't you just go home?" My fingers found my temple as a headache began to form.

"Thank you, Jaken. I hadn't thought of that." Sesshomaru scolded Jaken who quieted down and sulked. Rin settled down and dozed off on my lap. The night dragged on, Jaken had fallen to his need of rest. Sessomaru had his eyes closed but I knew better. I knew better because I do the same as he. Never really sleeping, but resting ourself to gain our strength.

My eyes cracked open, gazing down at the resting Rin. She reminded me so much of my own niece. The thought brought a deep rooted ache to my chest. Absentmindedly I began to stroke her head. She sighed softly and nuzzled into my palm.

Aware of a stare, I looked up. Sesshomaru was watching us. We locked eyes momentarily before I gazed back down to Rin. I knew what I wanted to do now. There was nothing else for me.

"Lord Sesshomaru..." I gave pause to make sure my voice didn't wake either Rin or Jaken. "May I travel with you and your group?" My eyes turned back up, gazing strongly back into his. There was no answer so I gazed back down, closing my own eyes, regaining what strength was left. Sesshomaru did the same.

When morning came around, all of us set off towards the sun.


End file.
